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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked the United Nations on Friday to recognize a state for his people, even though Israel still occupies its
territory and the United States has vowed to veto the move.
Abbas handed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a letter requesting full U.N. membership, which the Security Council must consider -- although this may take some time.
His appeal to the council reflects a loss of faith after 20 years of failed peace talks sponsored by the United States,Israel's main ally, and alarm at relentless Israeli settlement expansion eating into the land Palestinians want for a state. It also exposes Washington's dwindling influence in a region shaken by Arab uprisings and shifting alliances that have pushed Israel, for all its military muscle, deeper into isolation.

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